According to the Reds, both Phipps and Negron agreed to terms on Minor League contracts and were offered invites to big-league camp at Spring Training as non-roster players.

A September call-up, Phipps finished 2012 with the Reds and batted .300 (3-for-10) with one home run in eight games. In 92 games with Triple-A Louisville, he batted .221 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs.

Negron appeared in four big-league games for the Reds during his lone call-up in June and was 1-for-4 with a walk. He batted .218 in 74 games for Louisville but suffered a season-ending right knee injury on July 5. It required surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus.

The transactions, which were announced Saturday morning by the club, leave Cincinnati's 40-man roster at 38 players. Besides having room to obtain free agents, the Reds could also have a spot open to make a selection in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft at the conclusion of next week's Winter Meetings.

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.